Leaving the barrier, Mylo took into the air as his form blossomed out into a dragon. He slowly moved to glide over the city and look down at it for a moment. Then he flapped his wings once and took off in a southward direction. With runes glowing on his wings, he settled into a glide as the magic sped him along and over the landscape.

Below him, the world stretched on forever. The plains that mostly surrounded Nokyo quickly gave way to swamps and mountains that spired upward to impossible points. Buildings floated upon clouds where bird folk would play and flit about. The ocean could be seen rising up into hourglass shapes around the cities that dotted the coast.

With a dive, he moved to land on the next continent over, a land bathed in golden light at all times of the day. Creatures that lived in the realm of golden dragons often carried a glow with them. By contrast, Mylo had to squint a little at times. It was such the way of those more touched by the light than he was.

Of course, his presence was noticed the moment he arrived, and two gilded wings appeared out of the shimmering glory of the sun. The dragon moved to land near him, radiating an intense heat that seared the yellowed grass below. Not even nature could survive this close, he mused.

“” The figure breached the subject with a note of perplexion. A breath left Mylo as he hid a brief moment of exasperation at the question. Too long with humans had made him impatient, he reasoned.

“” No visible change in his visage occurred, but his mind briefly thought back to the baker for a moment.

“” They slammed a foot into the ground, and two mountains appeared out of the ocean, filled with glowing life that shaped into winged wyverns.

“

“

“” The light suddenly grew blinding, and Mylo stopped himself from saying more.

“” As much as the statement sounded silly, a part of Mylo had to remind himself that just two centuries ago, he’d thought it was a real thing, too.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

<” Bollywoks, calm down you fool. I am no more juiced than you are.>” It was hard not to hide a small bit of bemusement at the other dragon.

“” There it was; Mylo sighed at the demand, and shook his head in dismay. Slowly, his scales began to build with light, and within a few moments, he was a glowing beacon as well. Though his eyes did not thank him for it.

“” Lowering to his haunches, the other dragon glared suspiciously as Mylo dimmed once more to a slightly lighter shade of black. Brief, sulking envy filled him as he wondered how many centuries it’d take to get his black colour back to the way he liked it.

“

“” With a flare of his wings, the golden dragon thankfully left. A sigh left Mylo as he lowered his neck and relaxed his stance.

“Always so uptight. He hasn’t changed.” With a leap, he was airborne. Gliding back toward the human city with a yawn. That would keep them off his territory, at least for a decade or two—enough time to properly explore the cramped dungeon called a city. As he moved back through the path, his mind dwelled on the words his brother had spoken.

‘Have I really changed? Is it possible that the human ‘infection’ is real? First that Darkseeker and now…’ There was a pause, and he gripped his head in silent dismay.

‘Why am I thinking in human now!? ’ Nodding to himself, he straightened his flight path.

‘I should spend some time away, but at the same time, there’s so much to see! My brain is alive with new ideas and creatures. Those metal mountains don’t move, but what if they did? What if creatures could live inside them, a moving fortress!’ A soft giddy chuckle left him as he found himself near the city already, diving down to alight upon the ground.

‘I can see their faces already as I turn up with my moving lair. That’ll show them for thinking I’ve been ‘infected with human’.’ Laughing more loudly now, he smiled as he skipped lightly toward the city in his dragon form, jumping into a human shape with a single step.